Author:
Camp Ariel L.,Roberts Thomas J.,Brainerd Elizabeth L.
Abstract
Most aquatic vertebrates use suction to capture food, relying on rapid expansion of the mouth cavity to accelerate water and food into the mouth. In ray-finned fishes, mouth expansion is both fast and forceful, and therefore requires considerable power. However, the cranial muscles of these fishes are relatively small and may not be able to produce enough power for suction expansion. The axial swimming muscles of these fishes also attach to the feeding apparatus and have the potential to generate mouth expansion. Because of their large size, these axial muscles could contribute substantial power to suction feeding. To determine whether suction feeding is powered primarily by axial muscles, we measured the power required for suction expansion in largemouth bass and compared it to the power capacities of the axial and cranial muscles. Using X-ray reconstruction of moving morphology (XROMM), we generated 3D animations of the mouth skeleton and created a dynamic digital endocast to measure the rate of mouth volume expansion. This time-resolved expansion rate was combined with intraoral pressure recordings to calculate the instantaneous power required for suction feeding. Peak expansion powers for all but the weakest strikes far exceeded the maximum power capacity of the cranial muscles. The axial muscles did not merely contribute but were the primary source of suction expansion power and generated up to 95% of peak expansion power. The recruitment of axial muscle power may have been crucial for the evolution of high-power suction feeding in ray-finned fishes.
Funder
National Science Foundation
Publisher
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Reference39 articles.
1. The mechanical power output of the pectoralis muscle of blue-breasted quail (Coturnix chinensis): The in vivo length cycle and its implications for muscle performance;Askew;J Exp Biol,2001
2. Vertical jumping in Galago senegalensis: the quest for an obligate mechanical power amplifier
3. Temperature, muscle power output and limitations on burst locomotor performance of Dipsosaurus dorsalis;Swoap;J Exp Biol,1993
4. Functional basis for sexual differences in bite force in the lizard Anolis carolinensis
5. Bite force is limited by the force–length relationship of skeletal muscle in black carp,Mylopharyngodon piceus
Cited by
138 articles.
订阅此论文施引文献
订阅此论文施引文献,注册后可以免费订阅5篇论文的施引文献,订阅后可以查看论文全部施引文献